On the eve of the National League Championship Series, manager Joe Torre pulled a fast one by shuffling the deck of his starting rotation.

Clayton Kershaw, who is destined to one day be the Dodgers ace, will get a jump-start on that role when he takes the mound in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

At this time last year, Kershaw was in the bullpen for the NLCS.

“I think I’ve grown up a lot since last year,” Kershaw said. “I got to experience last year out of the bullpen, and it’s obviously not the same to start Game 1 of a series, but just to have the experience to get out there and pitch against them a little bit is definitely going to help me out.”

The 21-year-old left-hander will be followed by Vicente Padilla in Game 2, Hiroki Kuroda in Game 3 and Randy Wolf in Game 4.

Kershaw pitched well against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 2 of the division series, but it was his start on the second-to-last day of the regular season that ultimately led to tonight’s high-profile start.

On that day, Kershaw struck out 10 Colorado Rockies and went on to a victory that clinched the National League West title.

“We handed him the ball to basically win the division for us,” manager Joe Torre said. “If he would have lost that game, we would have been tied with the Rockies with one game to play. I don’t think there was a game more important than that game.”

Wolf, who started in Game 1 of the division series and struggled, was bumped all the way back to Game 4.

Asked about the move, Wolf said he wasn’t the person to ask. Asked how he felt about it, he was short with his answer.

“I feel like I have an opportunity in Game 4 to help the team win,” he said.

Kershaw finished the season with an understated 8-8 record, but he had a 2.79 ERA, and his .200 batting average against led baseball, as did his .282 slugging percentage against.

“The pitcher’s job is just to go right after them with your best stuff, and if they beat you, tip your hat to them,” Kershaw said. “That’s all I’m going to try and do.”

Welcome back

Kuroda’s five-inning start in the Arizona instructional league Tuesday was all Torre had to see to put the right-hander back in the rotation. Torre and pitching coach Rick Honeycutt traveled to Arizona to watch Kuroda pitch.

Kuroda was not on the roster for the division series because of a bulging disk in his neck.

“He may not be as good as we want him to be, but still, off what he did for us last year (in the NLCS), it’s something we felt we wanted to give a shot to,” Torre said.

Kuroda held the Phillies to two runs on five hits in six innings in Game 3 last year to pick up the Dodgers’ only victory in the series.

“One big thing was that Joe Torre came to Arizona to watch me pitch,” Kuroda said through an interpreter.

“That was big. I was very happy they did that. As far as having the trust of Joe Torre, I have always wanted to do something for Joe Torre. The only way I can repay him is to pitch well in Game 3.”

Garland sits

Torre has not announced the Dodgers’ NLCS roster, but Jon Garland said he won’t be on it. The right-hander, acquired from the Diamondbacks Aug. 31, was in the bullpen for the division series, but did not pitch.

“I knew it came down to (Kuroda’s) health; I’m a pretty smart guy,” Garland said. “I want to be playing. I didn’t take it happily. I want to be playing and I want to be a part of it. It’s tough for me to take.”

Garland went 3-2 for the Dodgers down the stretch with a 2.72 ERA. He has postseason experience with the Chicago White Sox starting one game in the 2005 league championship series and one game in the World Series.

Also …

Game 1 is expected to be a sellout, but as of Wednesday evening some single tickets in the reserved level were available, as well as about 100 or so in the right-field pavilion. – The Phillies have not released a rotation beyond Game 1 starter Cole Hamels, but former Dodger Pedro Martinez has been rumored to be their Game 2 starter. – The Phillies’ Jimmy Rollins, a Bay Area native, when addressed as somebody from California: “I’m from a different state in California – that’s Northern California.”